About
This all began as a little, light castle-building under the name "Loyalty Binds Me".
First there was Middleham in the prettiness of Wensleydale. Rebuilding Middleham was followed by a much more ambitious project - the almost destroyed castle at Sandal in Wakefield. It is hard to express how little of Sandal remains. Put it this way - it sees mainly bike-riders and dog-walkers today. So to piece together the lost castle from all available research and knowledge was a phenomenal achievement.
On seeing an image of our reconstructed castle of Sandal, a lady said, "What is it?" Her husband replied, "Oh, it's an idealised castle." It certainly isn't that.
We don't work for Disney. We don't make idealised castles.
We are truth-lovers.
What do you see in a real castle?
Fireplaces - dozens of them. Latrines - everywhere. Kitchens. Defences. Wells.
At the risk of disappointing the children who visit these sites with the evergreen question, "Where's the dungeon?" castles were not prisons. For sure, there was somewhere to stick the trouble-makers. But castles were for people - built for their comfort, protection and security. Telling the stories of castles means telling the stories of those who lived in them.
Here comes the contentious part - because wherever a portrait is made of figures in history, someone, somewhere will take offence. It can't be helped. But we aren't in the business of setting out several points of view and choosing none for ourselves. History happened. Sometimes the record is easy to follow. Sometimes further research allows for educated guesses to fill in the gaps. And sometimes, we just don’t know. But we want to inform - clearly, concisely and in a compelling way and we can only do so by making judgments. Call it "history, without the footnotes".
Conwy Castle comes next. The site is so well preserved today that hopefully, when the real footage and computer reconstructions are seen side by side, someone, somewhere will see that the stunning brilliance of the architecture is not imagined or idealised, but true.
Our films are written and presented by John Fox. They are developed and made in collaboration with Chat Noir Productions Ltd.
John and Abigail on location at Middleham Castle
Joseph and John at Middleham